Update: GAME and Gamestation will be selling the machine for £149.99 from Friday 12th August.

The 3DS price drop is nearly upon us and while we know that the North American machine will cost $169.99, the UK price is up to individual retailers to set. We can now reveal that the country's biggest High Street chains are looking to sell the console for as little as £139.99 effective this Friday.

Sources at UK retailers GAME and HMV both confirmed the machine could go as low as £139.99 this Friday, though a £149.99 price point has been bandied about too. Both retailers will no doubt be keen to make the most of the expected upsurge in interest around the console and its new low price, but who will go lowest? Then there's also the possibility of supermarkets and online retailers selling the machine off even more cheaply.

Damien has over a decade of professional writing experience under his belt, as well as a repulsively hairy belly. Rumours that he turned down a role in The Hobbit to work on Nintendo Life are, to the best of our knowledge, completely and utterly unfounded.